Summary
The novel, The Cather in the Rye, is written by J.D. Salinger and is a classic. It tells the tale of a dysfunctional sixteen year old be who has a very constricted view of the world. The novel tells the tale of a young boy who finds himself lost in such a big world. He builds walls around himself to protect himself from the corruption of society. Holden Caulfield tells his story from the insides of a mental hospital.
This novel is original because there isn’t a happy ending. The novel leaves the reading hanging, tune in to find out why… J
Character : Holden Caulfield
Salinger tells this story through the eyes of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old boy. He is an extremely unreliable narrator because he has a very opinionated view about the world. He tells his tale in a mental hospital. In the beginning of the novel, Holden is on edge between adulthood and childhood. He cannot grow up because he believes the world is full of hypocrisy and lies. The reader cannot be sure if the events that Caulfield recalls are construed due to his feelings about the world.
Theme
Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy trying to survive one harsh world. J.D. Salinger sends the reader the message that a lot of the pain a person suffers from is the pain that the person causes themselves. The fear of pain and loneliness itself can cause a person to become restricted. It also depicts the pain of growing up and becoming an adult. People fear change and new things such as different environments. Not trying in life is easier to deal with then trying and not succeeding, in anything a person does.

Awards For The Cather in the Rye

The Cather in the Rye has won over 300 awards in 42 different countries.
Brief List:
1. Top 100 best English novels from 1923 to present time by TIME magazine
2. AACAP
3. The New Yorker

Recommendations

I recommend this book to any teenager and adult. I think that it is really easy to relate to the narrator. Growing up is really hard to do and anyone who is going through it or has gone through it can relate. The book also creates a challenge, there is so much symbolism and deeper meanings in the book that its’ hard to keep up. The Catcher in the Rye definitely reaches top ten on my booklist.